How to Collect Vintage Cars

Insider tips—and photos—from the president of the Antique Automobile Association of Brooklyn

Lifelong Brooklynite and real-estate executive Lenny Shiller keeps 58 cars in a 12,300-square-foot garage near his home. In 1967, he acquired his first automobile, a hand-me-down 1936 Chevy from his grandmother. His modest hobby turned into an obsession in 1986 when he decided he wanted to acquire and fix a car from every year from 1936 through 1958. You may have already seen some of his prized possessions: a 1947 International KB-6 soda truck he owns appeared in seven movies including Malcolm X and Pollack, and his 1965 Chrysler 300 convertible was in the B 52's "Love Shack" video. Here, the 68-year old, and president of the Antique Automobile Association of Brooklyn, takes us through his collection and offers tips for would-be buyers.

"I have no thought about moving the collection. People have said I should make it a museum to beat the real-estate tax. But I like it to be my own personal museum so I can do with it what I want. If someone wants to buy my cars, I want to know they are buying it as collector. I'm the caretaker, not necessarily the owner; eventually they're going to be passed on to somebody else."